LAFC is back to its winning ways.
The Western Conference giants defeated Real Salt Lake 2-0 on Sunday at Banc of California Stadium after three consecutive losses that included the embarrassing 4-1 game against Austin FC.
But Steve Cherundolo’s side pushed through over the weekend, as goals from Ryan Hollingshead and Chicho Arango propelled LAFC one step closer to the Supporters’ Shield.
“We’re happy to get three points again and that winning feeling back at LAFC. We went on a little three-week, soul-searching adventure and we came out, I hope, long term better for it. I truly believe that,” said head coach Steve Cherundolo.
“Psychologically, when you get knocked down, it’s very important to get back up and to keep going down the same path. That’s what we’ve done. And to understand why you fell down and to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I think that’s what we’ve achieved in the last couple weeks. Does that mean we’ll never lose another game? No. But it solidifies our way of playing and the belief in the locker room that when we play our way, we’re a very difficult team to beat.”
But the work is not over.
Though LAFC maintained the lead in the Supporters’ Shield race, their three recent defeats enabled the Philadelphia Union to catch up. The Eastern Conference team is now tied with LAFC at 60 points, though the California team has one additional game. With the season quickly coming to a close, neither side can afford to lose points.
The Black & Gold return to action on Saturday when facing FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium.